GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Neighbors will be "otter-ly thrilled" about a brand-new exhibit unveiled at the John Ball Zoo.
Thursday night, the zoo cut the ribbon on the new 3,200-square-foot exhibit for their North American river otters.
"We're thrilled here at John Ball Zoo to be having people finally get a chance to see this habitat," said Jaime Racalla, an animal care supervisor at John Ball Zoo.
The habitat is triple the size of the previous 43-year-old habitat and will house a bachelor group of four males, with space for up to five.
The exhibit features two large pools, underwater viewing areas, a kids' crawl tunnel that looks into the shallow pool, an ADA-accessible otter den, and two animal care team training areas for guest viewing.
There are also several fish cannons installed in the habitat that launch fish into the water!
"They're just joyful animals," said Lynne Snyder, a lover of otters and attendee of Thursday's ribbon-cutting. "I love the zoo itself and all the animals, but I think they're probably most people's favorite," said Snyder.
One unique piece of decor is the Otter Trash Sculpture that was created by Grand Rapids artist Craig Rhyan Merchant. It's made out of litter collected through the mayor's Grand River cleanup and other community initiatives.
It's part of the larger "Waters of the World" exhibit that features wildlife from several different continents, including the black swan (Australia) and the pygmy hippo (Africa).
The theme of the North American river otter exhibit is "We All Need Clean Water," which highlights the importance of water quality along with quantity.
Conservation and sustainability are also at the forefront of the new exhibit — it was built to meet zero-carbon certification standards, helping reduce the zoo's carbon footprint. The zoo says they have an overall goal of reducing their operational carbon by 39%.
Starting Friday, the John Ball Zoo will kick off "OtterPalooza" featuring three days of festivities to celebrate the new, expanded otter exhibit.
OtterPalooza runs from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24.
WATCH: You 'otter' check this out, new habitat for North American River Otters opens at John Ball Zoo
